Review: Bodean's BBQ, Soho

Pic of two really hot guys...

as seen in the Kansas Star

The boys brought us to this really happening joint in Soho - Bodean's BBQ - to watch the KU vs. Kentucky game last Tuesday (they loyally trooped down again at unearthly London hours for the KU vs. S. Illinois and vs. UCLA game, where the Jayhawks finally bowed in honourable defeat, after reaching the Elite Eight). Look at my face: college basketball is very very very important - if they lose one game, they're out for the entire season. *giggle*

The gang went gaga over pulled pork and burnt ends, but what really pushed my buttons were the ribs! Sweet smokey baby back goodness, the bestest in town (no wonder we catered a few kilos for The Boy's birthday party!). This is the place for one of the best secret deals in town too - a pig out meal: pulled pork, ribs, coleslaw and chips - all for 10 quid! Yummilicious brownies and such too, but DO NOT order the corn on cob - overpriced and not very good. Have I said it already? Very good ribs and pulled pork.

You can choose to dine in the elegant area downstairs (leather banquettes and all), or in the rowdy woody bar upstairs (personally, I would opt for dinner downstairs and digestif beer upstairs). The funniest things was, the guy who started up Bodean's in London used to do his smoking just down the road from The Boy's parent's place... And lets not forget the basketball. There's a lot to recommend this place, especially if you are American looking for home in The Big Smoke... or into college basketball, or really just some good solid down-to-earth bbq.

Also in Clapham and Fulham.

Bodean's BBQ
10 Poland Street
London W1F 8PZ
Web: http://www.bodeansbbq.com/

Ski-tastic!

Back from skiing in La Rosiere - the snow was fantastic! And sunny all the way. We skied high in Belvedere and across the border to La Thuile in Italy. The change from the French side ws stark. Italian women are way way fashionable on the slopes, I tell you - strappy tops, bright colours and bling on skis!

The Boy's family is visiting in London, and I look like a roasted panda. haha. Looking forward to The Boy's birthday party on Friday! Will post more thoughts over the weekend, when things quieten down. Chill...

Where does He lead?

The sweetest Valentine ever!

The Boy outdid himself again. There's no way he can do that, you'd think, but he does. Every time. But then again, he does that every day, with every prayer, every time he offers his service, even with little things, even things he doesn't like doing very much, every moment he worships our first love. With God, anything is possible, eh?

Sample of V-day prezzies from The Boy:







... and more!

Chinese New Year 2007, Sat 17th Feb

Gong xi fa cai! Hong bao na lai!

We had the feast of all feasts - 20 people! An entire feast! It was a first, even for me. We jammed the dining table together with the Boy's study desk, and spread a bright red tablecloth (3.50 from Waitrose) over it. Eating surface, done. Hm, things to sit on. All the chairs in the flat were activated, as well as the piano bench (boys are so practical). Done. Now, all that was left was to feed people.

The cooking started on Thursday night. Thursday and Friday could be described quite simply: work, nip out to Chinatown during lunch, lug back loads and loads of groceries with trusty Samsonite trolley bag (one of the best inventions ever), work again, cook, sleep. And then there was the chopping. Chop chop chop throughout the night - cabbage for the zhai (vegetarian), yam for the yam cake, cabbage (again) for the jiaozi (dumplings), and other fun assorted things. Saturday, cooking. Glorious glorious smells of food! Sauce was ladled over the duck lovingly for 3 hours, like bathing a baby. The roast pork came out of the oven smokey and crispy (although the flat and corridors smelled of bacon for days after!). C brought the ngoh hiang, which was delish! J turned up early to help wrap over 100 dumplings, what a star! I giggled like a little girl, because this was the Chinese New Year I knew as a child all over again. And I knew there and then that, wherever I was in the world, I would always celebrate Chinese New Year with a grand feast. My children would, and their children's children would. There's nothing like food to remind you of home.

Recipes coming up soon! Some more pictures:

The feast

J wrapping the dumplings

C making the ngoh hiang,
and cutting up her famous homemade banana cake!

The Boy and Eszet entertaining the guests

Red!

Lovely in mandarin

The Boy talking to Singapore
- gong xi fa cai!

I was eating leftovers for days after...!

Introducing...

The view from Waterloo Bridge as I run home from Bible Study Fellowship

CNY in Chinatown

CNY in Oxford Street

Wow, I have so much to tell you: Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, Christmas in Singapore, Mitsuko Uchida and Mozart, my new running addiction... and pictures! Sorry I've been awol so long. Work's been a bit hairy, I've been away, and there always seems like so much to do (Persis stares at the 4 bags of laundry that have been sitting in her room since November 2006). What else has happened? The Boy started a blog, Carina - creative genius - started her very own homemade card business, I came to know the child soldiers in Rwanda through Linda's eyes, and Eszet composes herself. So it seems that life goes on, and God is still good. He's always good. Peace.